2009 Holiday Gift Guide

Santa hit the jackpot with this kitchen!

Buying gifts for children is a tricky business, you never know what will be a hit and what will fall flat and never get played with. I wasn’t planning on doing a gift guide this year, there are so many lists out there, I figured I’d pass and stick to my regular glue and glitter. Then I got email after email asking me for advice. I admit I always worry when I get those emails because I don’t want to lead you the wrong way. Kids are so variable. So I decided instead of doing a wish list gift guide listing all the toys I think are cool, I am doing a parent to parent it’s worked for me guide based on experience, including a reader suggested list. I have not been paid for any of these endorsements, nor have I contacted any of the companies to include their products. Please feel free to add your child’s favorite toy in the comments. This guide is about sharing and helping other parents!

Great ideas. I am sitting here writing out a list as we speak. I love your book choices and have added a few that we don’t have to a wishlist. Thank you!
.-= [email protected]´s last blog ..Halloween 2009 =-.

Yay, we have a lot of the books on your must-read list (and I agree, they are our very favorites), but there are plenty that we haven’t read, so thanks for the lots of good ideas for my little readers!

We have a wooden play kitchen, although ours is from Angels & Elves, and we love it. So, so fabulous.

Our current favourites are our Waldorf-inspired playsilks, which are good for everything. You can use them to play peek-a-boo, as blankets, as costumes, or as tablecloths. They’re so versatile and fun. We also love our Mega Bloks. Another versatile toy, that’s good at many ages.
.-= Amber´s last blog ..Crafting my Life Manifesto =-.

Thanks for sharing your gift guide! It would appear that our sons have lots in common! My son’s FAVORITE things in the whole wide world are garbage trucks, so I was delighted to see one on your list. This one looks like lots of fun, and I love that it doesn’t make noise. Too funny that you have 15 different kinds….I think we may be up to 7 or so. 🙂

My son LOVES books, even more than toys. We have quite a few of the books you recommended, but others I had never heard of before. I just searched our local library’s online catalog and they have many of the books you recommended which we don’t have at home. I made a list and plan to check them out on our next visit to the library – a great way to give them a “test drive” for free before deciding whether or not to purchase them. Thank you for the recommendations!
.-= Lisa´s last blog ..My Favorite Beach – Bellows =-.

Great list! Thanks for the link up. I have to say that I love your site and when I see it in my inbox, I can’t wait to get here to see what you are doing now.
Love the list, both the readers favorites and your favorites. We have had the hammer bench since my son was 9 months. He has graduated to a big boy work bench, but now baby girl hammers. We also have a wooden kitchen, different brand. We have a ton of trucks, his fav are dump trucks, though. Great guide, great site.
.-= Kim´s last blog ..Gooey Geyser Goo =-.